A new airline plans nonstop service to and from Fresno. Who is it and where will it fly?
A new airline brand operated by ExpressJet Airlines will begin offering flights in November between its base of operations in Reno, Nevada, and Fresno Yosemite International Airport.
“aha!” will begin its schedule of three weekly round trips between Fresno and Reno-Tahoe International Airport on Nov. 10. It’s part of the new airline’s formal launch of operations to eight airports across California, Oregon and Washington between late October and early November.
Flights to and from Fresno will be offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Flights originating in Reno will take off at 2:30 p.m. and arrive in Fresno at about 3:33 p.m., while the Fresno-to-Reno return flights will depart at 4:15 p.m. and arrive in Reno at 5:18 p.m.
“We look forward to welcoming aha! to Fresno Yosemite International Airport and are excited to be part of their new airline program with service to Reno-Tahoe,” said Kevin Meikle, director of aviation for the city of Fresno, in a statement issued Wednesday. The nonstop flights “will connect Central Valley travelers to a variety of year-round recreational activities and iconic events.”
“Reno-Tahoe expands our air travel gateway within the Western Pacific region with more flights, more choices,” Meikle added.
ExpressJet’s aha! brand will fly 50-seat Embraer ERJ145 regional jets. ExpressJet has operated regional jets, largely under agreements with United Airlines under the United Express brand, for years, but amid the COVID-19 pandemic and schedule uncertainty, that arrangement came to an end in late 2020. ExpressJet recently received clearance from the U.S. Department of Transportation to initiate service as an independent airline.
The aha! brand (with the lower-case “a” at the beginning and the exclamation point at the end) is an acronym for “air-hotel-adventure.” The airline’s plan is to sell packages of flights and hotel stays for vacationers or business travelers.
Introductory fares of $49 each way are being offered by aha! for a limited time on the airline’s website, flyaha.com.
aha! will begin service from Reno to Pasco, Washington on Oct. 24, and add more cities over the following two weeks: Bakersfield on Oct. 25; Medford/Ashland, Oregon on Oct. 31; Eugene/Springfield, Oregon on Nov. 1; Ontario in Southern California on Nov. 4; Redmond/Bend, Oregon on Nov. 5; and Eureka/Arcata in Northern California on Nov. 9.
The airline expects to expand its route network to more than 20 cities in 2022.
Reno will be a new destination option for airline passengers in the Fresno market. Allegiant Air has flown from Fresno to Las Vegas since 1998, when the airline’s hub was originally in Fresno. United Airlines also served the Fresno-Las Vegas route for a time, and earlier this year Southwest Airlines entered the Fresno market with daily flights to Las Vegas as well as Denver.
“The Reno-Tahoe region offers travelers a wide range of fun and unique experiences,” said Tim Sieber, who heads ExpressJet’s aha! business unit, citing plans to begin offering vacation bundles in cooperation with hotels and gaming resorts in and around Reno and Lake Tahoe.
This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 1:37 PM.
